Flow Of Darkness
by Shin-Izanagi
Summary: AU Two mercenaries live a rather easy life serving a local crime lord, but the sudden encounter with a mysterious girl triggers a chain of events that will end on a quest for vengance, survival and freedom.
1. An Ordinary Long Night

**AN: **Due to the creative block I experienced with "The Darkest Bond" I decided to move onto another story. I want to clarify that **I will not abandon the other**, rather it will take me longer to complete. I ask you to bear with me on this. Now, this story is for the Persona 4 game, but it's set in an alternate universe with no personas. It's an adventure crime story featuring most of the P4 original cast plus some P3 cameos. The characters are different from the originals in order to fit a role in the story, but I'll try to keep some traits of their original personalities intact. So, after this long note and with no further ado, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of the Persona series; all rights go to Atlus.

**Summary: **Okina city is a place filled with splendor, but within its lively streets, shadows run deep into its core, eroding the fragile surface by the day. In this place, two friends live a rather easy life working for a local crime lord, but the encounter with a mysterious girl is the catalyst to a quest for vengeance, survival and freedom.

* * *

**Flow of Darkness**

**Chapter 1- An Ordinary long Night**

The shroud of night had spread across Okina city. Streets were flashing with hundreds of vehicles crossing the paved roads at high speed, flowing like a river of light and crystal. In a lone apartment building, a small device began to disturb the silence of one of the topmost rooms. A shadowy figure began to move, annoyed by the device´s constant noise. He stretched his hand and tried to focus his eyesight on the lit LCD screen. It was a phone call. He pressed the "call" button and said in dry whisper:

"Yeah?"

"Yu, it's me. I'm about to get to your place, The King wants this done tonight."

The young man identified as Yu rubbed his eyes in order to wake up from his slumber.

"We don't have enough intel on this man, we need more data."

"Yeah, well, the boss said that if we don't do this, it's our heads on a spike; if we do, it's a juicy bonus!"

"And you seriously believe that?"

"And why not? Look, I now you're sick of this, but you have to consider that this is better than Inaba."

At the mention of his hometown, Yu straightened up on his chair, his mind racing back to the peaceful rural town, bathed in the twilight's summer light while the cicadas filled the air with their song.

Yu's friend continued:

"Besides, don't you want to help Nanako-chan?"

The sound of that name made something inside Yu stir up wildly, a bitter taste filling his mouth.

"Look, what I want to do with…" Yu was cut off by the sound of his friend yelling, followed by the shriek of sirens passing close by.

_Police…_

"What was that?" said Yu hoping his ears were deceiving him.

"I uh… think I'm bringing a party along"

"Can't you lose them?"

"Not enough time, I'll be at your place in ninety seconds."

Yu could say that his friend was your typical class clown, but if there was one thing he was ever serious about were his driving skills; if he said it would take him one minute to get from A to B, he was dead serious about it. Therefore, Yu had ninety seconds and counting to get ready.

"Not enough time." replied Yu with a tired sigh.

"Sorry man, but you're gonna have to hurry." said his friend, ending the call right after.

* * *

Yu turned on the lamp on his nightstand and did his best to wake up fully; rising up from the chair he had been sleeping in. He then reacted and grabbed a bag containing his gear and headed for a drawer in which he kept his gun, a perfectly kept AMT Hardballer. While he was placing the clips in his bag, he noticed something. It was a family photo. Yu remembered the day that was taken, a hot summer day under a pristine azure sky, surrounded by an eternal shade of green. He looked at the people beside him; his uncle Ryotarou Dojima and his little cousin, Nanako.

He then looked at his own image in the photo. He was smiling carefree, experiencing true happiness. He then realized that was a long time ago. Then, further inside the drawer, there was a small shining object buried beneath several pieces of clothing. Yu took it in his hands and a wave of sadness took over him. It was a badge, given to him long ago, when he had a clear view of what was right. He felt like throwing it away then and there, but decided to bury it back in the drawer and hurry up outside. Before closing the door, he grabbed his coat and as soon as he knew the door was closed, he ran to the elevator, bashing on the call button. Moments later, the elevator arrived and Yu pressed the lobby button.

Few seconds later, he was there, strolling outside in order not to look suspicious. As soon as he stepped outside, a black car parked by apartment building; the driver was a young brunet with reddish brown hair.

"C'mon!" he said as he honked twice. Yu just ignored him and got inside the car, which drove off right away.

"Sure took your time." commented the driver.

"Just lose them while I check the target's background."

Yu opened his bag, concealed his gun and set up a laptop while his friend drove around, taking tight corners and dodging traffic and passers-by.

* * *

"Hey, Yu, you ok?" said the driver while taking a corner with ease. "You seem to be off"

"It's nothing, Yosuke."

"You sure? Cause if you wanna talk about it, I'm right here."

Yu kept silent, looking -staring- at his computer. Yosuke looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a golden emblem of a fox on his partner's computer screen. He could tell what Yu was thinking of. Yu quickly changed the screen in order to show the details on the man they were meant to pay a visit.

"Is it about Sanada?" asked Yosuke while looking at his friend.

"Let's leave him out of this." replied Yu in a cold tone.

"You know? You really should put all this behind…"

"Look out!"

Yosuke turned and stepped on the breaks with full force, causing the car to jump forward as it stopped inches away from hitting a passer-by.

Yosuke honked furiously as the passer-by walked away. Yu had a chance to look at the person in the eye, freezing at the sight of two deep blue orbs that shun like sapphires.

"Damn it!" cursed Yosuke under his breath.

"It was also your fault." commented Yu, still following the stranger with his eyes.

"Huh?"

"Go, it's changed to green."

* * *

Yosuke stepped on the gas and the car drove off, still watching for any patrol car that might have been following them. After a few more blocks, the two of them made sure that they weren´t being followed and parked the across the street from the target building. Yosuke loaded his gun; Yu followed him suit, also making sure the equipment was in order. Seconds later, Yosuke's cellphone rang. It was their employer.

"Yes, boss. Yeah, we're all set here." said Yosuke in a low voice. Then, the brunet placed the phone in a special slot and pressed a button to activate the car's internal speakers. The voice of an elderly man took over the quiet hum of the vehicle's interior.

"Ok, you grunts, stay sharp and do your job right. I'm patching you through to Mitsuo.

"How long will it take you to clear a path for us?" asked Yu. The line stood silent, so Yu called Mitsuo's name again. Nothing…

"Damn kid! Pay attention!" said the employer with an upset tone.

Mitsuo seemed to react, as the sound of something crashing filled the inside of the car.

"Sorry, boss! I was just… double-checking."

The employer sighed heavily, cursing under his breath. Yu decided to redirect the conversation in order to clear the tension.

"How long will it take us to get to the target?"

"Considering the guards stationed around his office and all the security systems, about twenty minutes."

"How are you going to help us?" asked Yosuke.

"I have created an algorithm that will give you clearance to all areas."

"Doesn´t that kind of stuff leave any traces?"

"All you have to do is upload it into the main computer and I´ll take over from there, making sure no alarms are triggered and you can work quietly."

"Good" said the employer. "Now get to work! We need this done tonight. And remember you two…" he added as Yu and Yosuke were getting out of the car. "Don't kill him."

With that, communication ended and the two mercenaries headed out to do their job.

"Say" commented Yosuke as he walked to the door. "Is it me or is Mitsuo getting pretty jumpy these days?"

"Now that you mention it, he is. And so is The King."

"Yeah, it's as if he constantly had a stick up his…"

"Heads up." said Yu, cutting Yosuke off. The two mercenaries entered a luxurious skyscraper that served as a corporate HQ. The glass automated door opened as if a wall of water was split into two by an invisible blade. As soon as the mercenaries crossed the threshold, the air seemed to change into a bad imitation of breathable oxygen. Yu had to fight the burning in his eyes and nose. Yosuke felt as if he could throw up any minute.

"Damn, the AC gets wore by the day!" cursed the brunet under his breath.

"Tell me about it."

The pair then was approached by a security guard, who asked for some ID. Yosuke didn't have the sharpest tongue, but he was good playing along. Yu quickly invented an excuse, which seemed to work on the sleepy guard. When he was pleased, he returned to his post, laying back on the chair and falling asleep shortly afterwards.

* * *

The pair then worked their way to the security systems area, knocking the guards out cold. Once all the gear was set, Mitsuo appeared in one of the screens.

"Good, you made it. Now, all I need to do is… there. You have access to all areas. Also, once you´re done, I´ll delete all footage that can be used against us. The target is on the top floor, so use the employee elevator and from floor 25, use the executive elevator that will take you to the upper level. Watch out for sentries."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Mitsuo." Said Yu as he loaded his gun and put it in his jacket.

"Let's do this, partner." said Yosuke in a rather child-like fashion.

Yosuke pushed the button that would take them to the top floor once they had reached the executive area.

"Nervous?" asked the brunet.

"No."

Yosuke wasn't expecting such an answer. Yu's gaze was cold, distant. Below, the city's glow was getting further away, turning into a cloud of glittering dust. Yu's mind raced back to a time he thought long forgotten.

_Are you nervous? Don't worry… It happens to all of us… You have to hold yourself together… I'm counting on you… Yu… _

"Yu!" Yosuke's call made the silver-haired mercenary to turn. Before him, there was a group of armed sentries, pointing their assault rifles, ready to shoot at any sudden move.

_Well… looks like it'll be another ordinary long night. Right, Yu?_

* * *

**AN: **Thank you for reading this! Please be sure to comment and tell me what you think. How will the two mercenaries get out of this one? How could they have been expecting them? Stay tuned for more!

Shin-Izanagi


	2. A second Home

**AN:** I noticed that I wrote the protagonist's name wrong; it's "Yuu" instead of "Yu". Therefore, I apologize; from now on, I'll write the name correctly.

**Chapter 2- A second Home**

Yosuke was ready to pull out his gun, but his companion dissuaded him. Yuu gently put his bag on the floor and held his hands in the air.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Yuu only looked at his partner with an absent gaze as sharp as a blade. Yosuke felt taken aback by the gesture and put his gun away. The mercenaries were then escorted to the very man they had come to see. The man was dressed in a fine Italian suit, holding a big cigar in his hand. He was young, focused, determined, but Yuu immediately noticed something was off.

"So you´re the ones sent by Mr. Morooka to 'pay me a visit'?"

The guards disarmed the two mercenaries and handed the guns to the man in the suit. The man then passed his finger through Yuu's Hardballer.

"A beautiful weapon you have here. You can see it´s been taken good care of."

Then, in a sudden move, the man punches Yuu in the face and Yosuke in the stomach, going back to Yuu to deliver a second blow.

"Honestly, I was expecting more of an entrance from you guys."

Yosuke cursed under his breath, but Yuu broke the silence in his calm demeanor.

"You can hit us as many times as you like, but it is you who is at a disadvantage."

The man is ready to hit the silver-haired mercenary again, but the young man's voice stays the aggressor's hand.

"See, there you go again, hitting first and listening later. And that is a clear sign of desperation. Tell me, what are you afraid of?"

"S-Stop it!"

The man in the suit was now pointing the Hardballer to Yuu's head, his hand shaking violently.

"You know? There was no real need for this many guards." Yuu continued.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, now I got your attention, it seems. Well, for starters, the executive floors, including the elevator are supposed to be guarded by a full squad equipped with considerable firepower and reasonable tactical gear, as well as a good training; your men were supposed to be present but you unexpectedly gave them the day off and hired other men from a ´private' security company."

The man felt threatened as he took half a step backwards, but then put the gun to Yosuke's head.

"Shut the fuck up or I'll blow your friend's brains off!"

"You know, usually I wouldn't mind having a gun to my head, but with people like you, I´m having second thoughts."

Yosuke then clicked his tongue and added in a playful manner:

"Shame on you."

The guards who were restraining the couple of mercenaries began to whisper among themselves. Yuu smiled inwardly due to his strategy's success. The silver haired continued to point out every flaw he had found in the man's actions, proving that there was no secret safe from being blown out into the open. The _Piéce de Resistance_ came by the time Yuu began to spill out very personal and compromising information. Yosuke also threw in a good amount of pressure with his sarcasm.

Ultimately, the man was so frustrated that he almost shot one of his guards, giving Yuu and Yosuke an opening to attempt their escape. They both knocked their captors down and neutralized the rest. The man ran off before either of them could stop him.

"Damn it!"

"Let's go! It will take time for them to figure out what's going on, so we gotta hurry."

Yosuke nodded while he picked his gun. Yuu took a guard's Glock and ran after the man. The hallways resounded with the sound of alarms as the target tried his best to escape. His steps were erratic and desperate, often resulting in him tripping and bumping into objects or walls. Yosuke was a few feet away from the man when he noticed the elevator doors open.

"Heads up, Yuu!" he shouted as he drew his gun and hoped he wasn't hit. Yuu received the warning and dashed across the hall. Seconds later, other guards were sweeping the building in search for the intruders.

"Mitsuo! Weren't alarms under your control?" said the silver haired mercenary while running.

"I can´t explain it either, but it won't be bothering you for long."

"You better make sure of it. The guards are coming up, try to cut them off."

"It might take some time with this interference I'm receiving, but…"

"Mitsuo…"

Yuu dunked and flattened himself against a wall as a bullet passed dangerously close. He returned the fire and continued to chase after the target.

"Yuu, hey are you still there?" said Mitsuo frantically.

"Hey, the target is running all over the place. Do you know where he's headed?"

"Hmm… Oh, got him. He's headed for the helipad. You better hurry; a large group of enemies are headed your way."

"Great." Said Yuu with a heavy sigh and pushed onward. Yosuke was gasping for air as the target seemed to get further out of his reach. Then, after a sharp turn, there was a long corridor at which end was a glass door leading to the rooftop. Yosuke cursed under his breath and seeing no other alternative aimed his gun for the man's legs and shot.

* * *

The man felt the bullet pass by his leg with a burning sting. He stumbled and fell face down. He looked back and then started to crawl as fast as the adrenaline in his blood allowed him to. Supporting himself in whatever he could find, the man stood up and limped towards the helicopter which was starting its engines. He then looked back and saw the silver-haired man in the distance, while the red-haired man launched his body forward, knocking him down again.

"Stand still, goddamn it!" said Yousuke grabbing the target's wrists and placing them in his back. The man in suit struggled to free himself when Yosuke heard gunshots from inside the building. Seconds later, Yuu appeared, closely followed by a full troop of heavily armed guards.

Yuu dashed as fast as he could to reach Yosuke in time, but was cut off by enemy fire. The mercenary pressed the trigger twice, noticing the clip would soon be empty and he would be out of ammo. Suddenly, a guard ran up to him, but Yuu was able to faint and disarm him before he could have a clear shot.

Replying to the fire, the mercenary was able to reach Yosuke and fend off several guards, however, they seemed to be increasing in number and ammunition was becoming scarce.

"Damn, there's no end to them!"

"Mitsuo, cut them off!" said Yuu through his earpiece.

Few seconds later, Mitsuo responded, his voice tense and gasping.

"Sorry for the wait, but I just fixed the problem. The guards are now trapped in the hallways, although I had to activate the fire alarms in order to initiate a lockdown. This will give you a twenty-minute window, twenty-five at the most."

"Well, guess we have to take what we can get. Right, Yuu?"

"Yeah, that's right."

* * *

The shootout was fast and violent, with both mercenaries taking down dozens of guards while trying to withstand the brutal assault. Then, a bullet passed between the two very close to hitting them. Both looked up and distinguished a blink, a light reflecting on a small glass surface.

"Damn!" cursed Yuu.

"A sniper? Now this is bad."

"I´ll cover you, take him out."

"Got it."

Yosuke let go of the target's hands while Yuu took over and made sure his partner was well covered against the other enemies. The red-haired mercenary exchanged fast shots with the enemy sniper, always getting dangerously close, but never quite finding his mark.

"Yosuke, you got it?" asked Yuu irritated.

"Yea, I got it!"

However, Yosuke's showdown was prolonging more than necessary, with the sniper drawing Yuu closer to a dangerous position.

"You got it?"

"I said I got it, damn it!" replied the brunet in an annoyed tone. However, Yuu's patience run out shortly afterwards, forcing the mercenary to end the confrontation in a fast single chain of maneuvers.

Taking his gun back from the target, Yuu dashed as he shot his enemies with deadly precision, making every single bullet in the magazine count. The sniper was forced to divert his attention from Yosuke, which gave the brunet enough time to steady his aim. Then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Yuu shot the last of the remaining guards, turned and without aiming, placed a bullet in the snipers weapon, leaving it useless.

"Yosuke!" said the mercenary. As if on cue, the brunet double-checked his aim and squeezed the trigger, hitting the sniper twice in the chest; putting end to the skirmish.

Taking a deep breath, Yuu replaced the empty mag of his gun with a new one and walked up to the target, hoping to finally get the job done.

"Alright. Now, tell us what we want to hear.

* * *

Once the interrogation was done, getting away from the others guards' reach wasn´t easy; Yuu and Youske had to hijack the helicopter and make the pilot fly them to a nearby building before they strapped both men and locked them inside the vehicle. Once away from most of the city´s chaos, Yosuke commented more relieved:

"Wow, that was a wild ride, wasn't it?"

However, when he turned to look at his companion, he saw him sleeping peacefully.

"Heh, guess you´re really tired, huh? Me too."

The brunet drove to a convenience store and bought a few refreshments, which he shared with his by then awake partner. Then, the brunet drove the car following a special route to avoid drawing too much attention.

"Hey, I'm gonna drop by the armory. Need anything repaired or some more ammo?" asked the brunet while taking a right turn.

"No, I have somewhere to be, people to see."

At first, Yosuke was confused, but understood shortly after, to which he added:

"Want me to drop you there?"

"No thanks, I'll walk." replied Yuu with sincerity.

Yosuke nodded in agreement and said bid his partner farewell after dropping him in a lonely street. When Yuu reached the far end, he spotted a modest house with no lights on or any sign of movement. From his jacket pocket he produced a key which unlocked the door and walked in. The inside of the house was as quiet as tomb, but Yuu found himself surrounded by a comfortable scent and a soothing warmth as he walked as softly as he could.

_Feels like a second home…_

When he entered the living room, he saw a little brunette sleeping peacefully on the couch, a blanket lying on the floor. Moved by the image, the silver-haired mercenary picked up the blanket and carried the girl to what seemed to be her room, covering with the blanket right after.

Yuu was heading towards the doorway in order to grab his bag when he noticed that the doorknob began to move and suddenly, the door opened with a squeaking sound; immediately afterwards, a man appeared, pointing a gun to the mercenary's chest.

"Freeze!"

* * *

**AN 2: **I apologize for the late update in advance, but I was a little busy with an independent project which gladly is getting results. Now, I want to thank those of you who have read, commented and added this and other of my stories to their favorites. I've also noticed that a few more have faved "The Darkest Bond" That really means a lot and gives me strength to continue writing on that one! Seriously, a million thanks!

Who is this man threatening Yuu? Why did he went to that house? Stay tuned for more!

Be seeing you!

Shin-Izanagi


	3. Sour Reunion

**Flow of Darkness**

**Chapter 3- Sour Reunion**

Yuu stood still in his place when the voice called out to him. He knew that the shadow was holding a gun and it wouldn't doubt to fire at any sudden moves. The mercenary held his hands up in the air and waited for the shadow to reach out to the switch that would bring the lights back to life. The circular pale white bulbs flickered and after a second's pause, burst alight, dissipating the shadows which once ruled over the small house.

The man with the gun's face turned from a serious one into total surprise as he saw the young mercenary standing with his hands held up, a tired expression in his face.

"Y-Yuu! When did you get it?"

"Hello, uncle." said the silver-haired young man. Next thing he knew, he was sitting at the table with his uncle, drinking a cup of black coffee in an old mug, a present from the elder man named Ryoutaro Dojima as a proof that he was a part of the family. Yuu hadn't had that much coffee in the past few days and he hadn't seen his uncle in quite some time, so it felt kind of nice coming back to a place he could actually call home.

"So, I think you were about to tell me when you got in here."

"It was about five minutes before you arrived, I used the spare key."

"Oh, right, I forgot for a while, sorry."

Yuu shook his head lightly, understanding that his uncle was a busy man. The two exchanged a tired but content gaze before turning their attention back to their mugs. Then, Dojima added:

"Is Nanako…?"

"She´s asleep, in her room." replied Yuu in a soft voice.

"I see."

"Actually, she's part of the reason I came here tonight." said the young man opening his bag and putting two neatly wrapped packages on the table. Dojima's eyes widened in surprise and then, his face changed to confusion.

"Ok, I know today isn't my birthday and Nanako's is still pretty far away, so, what are these for?"

"Yuu looked at his uncle with slightly cold eyes and said, as if praying that the elder could give a proper response:

"Have you forgotten what day tomorrow is?"

Dojima looked away from his nephew in thought when suddenly, the answer hit him. He was looking at a family photo when he realized what day tomorrow was.

"Ah, yes. It's Chisato´s anniversary. But… why would you…?"

"They're for Nanako; she usually gets pretty sad after she visits my aunt's grave, so I thought this might help cheer her up."

Dojima's eyes then brightened up, deeply touched by the gesture. He then went over by the table and examined the presents, paying attention to every detail, from the paper to the ribbons and the usage of colors. Yuu knew exactly what his little cousin might have been expecting, even better than him.

"My, my, you do think of everything, don't you?" said Dojima with a light chuckle.

"No, not everything."

Yuu's voice sounded as if it had turned into ice inside his mouth, distant and sharp, echoing in a bottomless pit. Dojima looked at his nephew and noticed where he was facing. There, in a certain space near the dining room, there was a photo framed in black wood. The picture showed a silver-haired young man in a military uniform. The soldier had a confident and serious expression on his face. The lettering engraved on the lower part of the frame read:

Lt. Akihiko Sanada

Dead in fulfillment of his duty

_To serve and protect_

1991-2019

Dojima then placed a gentle hand on his nephew's shoulder, also looking at the memorial portrait of the deceased Lieutenant. The elder man remembered with great sorrow the day in which a valiant soul was lost, giving his life so that hundreds others -his nephew's included- would be spared.

"You know_ he_ knew what he was doing. He was willing to give up his life if it was needed. More importantly, he gave his life for you two. Hadn't it been for him, me and Nanako would be putting flowers on your and that kid, Hanamura's graves. Besides, you were _there_ when he died; you heard his last wish, which he entrusted to you and you alone."

Yuu's memories raced back to that fateful day, in the middle of a bullet storm. Lt. Akihiko was trapped in the crossfire, shooting small bursts with his assault rifle. he tried to reach his comrade, but was cut off by an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Akihiko ran towards Yuu, but the sound of flesh being torn by the bullet stops time and the mercenary is thrown back to reality.

* * *

His stomach began to burn, thousands of invisible needles sinking into his entrails and a rising stream of acid running through his throat. He winced, but tried to be as discrete as possible. He would need to calm the excruciating pain inside him.

"I know you feel guilty for what happened, but you have to keep on going. Do it for his sake."

The silver-haired young man nodded, struggling against the intense pain in his stomach, applying a little amount of pressure. Dojima noticed his nephew´s actions and asked if everything was ok. The mercenary felt the overwhelming need to dash out of the house, but then, a beep interrupted his thoughts. Dojima picked up his cellphone and nodded every few seconds, turning away from his young nephew. When the call ended, the police detective looked at the silver-haired young man as if looking for answers to a question deep in shadows.

"There was a shootout in a corporative building in the financial district. Do you know anything about it?"

Yuu felt the adrenaline pump through his veins like the rapids and for some reason, broke out in a cold sweat. Maybe it was because he didn´t expect news of his actions would reach his uncle so quickly. Of course, he knew he would find out, eventually. Trying to act natural and oblivious to the incident, he finished his coffee and said:

"No, nothing. What did your contact say?"

"That a major CEO and his personal pilot had been found tied up inside his helicopter after two armed men killed several guards and almost killed him."

Yuu pretended to be amazed by the information and tried to sound as natural as possible, but Dojima's detective intuition was starting to weaken the mercenary's resilience. On top of that, Yuu's stomachache was becoming worse.

"Hey, are you ok? You seem… nervous."

"It's nothing. Oh! Look at the time, I gotta go."

The silver-haired young man closed his bag and hung it over his shoulder, walking fast to the doorway. Just before exiting the house, he added in a serious tone:

"Make sure Nanako gets the presents right after visiting my aunt's grave."

"What, you're not coming with us? Nanako would be pleased if you…"

"I can't." said Yuu cutting his uncle off. Dojima's face turned serious and somewhat disappointed, but replied with a heavy sigh:

"I understand, but promise me you'll come back so we can talk more, ok?"

Yuu couldn't help but to be frightened by elder Dojima's words. Behind them he could read a very ominous threat that could seriously damage his already fragile relationship with his relatives if he failed to comply with his uncle´s expectations. The truth was that Dojima suspected –if he didn't already know- that he was in very dangerous and illegal business. "Sailing the dark waters" he would say.

"I'll come back some other day. Thanks for the coffee and… the company."

Yuu walked away as his uncle's gaze followed him as if it was another part of his shadow. It took several block´s distance to make him forget the feeling. Regrettably, as soon as his thoughts left Dojima, the pain in his stomach came back intensified.

* * *

Yuu hurried back to his apartment and as soon as he crossed the threshold, dropped his bag and desperately dug inside one of his drawers, producing a little plastic tube which contained his prescription, pills to disperse the pain caused by a severe case of gastritis; a sour reminder of _that_ day´s events and his superior´s death. The mercenary put one pill between his teeth and after praying in silence for relief, clutched them as tightly as he could. A loud crack resounded in his mouth, followed by a heavy swallowing sound.

The mercenary hardly managed to push himself up to his sleeping chair, breathing heavily, but relieved that the pain was starting to fade. Taking deep breaths, he left his mind take over the slow process of bringing himself back together. He could hear every thought in his head rewind itself at vertigo-like speed; every muscle of his body was taking note of every single move made throughout the day and fatigue washed over him, charging him for his actions.

Soon, there was a rather peaceful silence and his body's rhythm returned to normal. With one final deep breath, Yuu Narukami was back to his old collected self. Then, as soon as he opened his eyes, he headed for his computer. He was starting up the system when, suddenly, an image crossed his mind; that pair of intense sapphire eyes he saw on his way to the target´s building. He had never seen eyes as mysterious or alluring as those and he couldn't help but wonder who that person was. The thought continued to circle his mind for a while until he decided to go back to work. He needed to verify the fruits of his and his partner's work. However, the message waiting in his mailbox was far from what he had been expecting. When he tried to contact Yosuke, he was greeted by his answering machine. After the beep, he left the message and then headed back to sleep in his chair, first, thinking back on the sour reunion his uncle and then, back to those haunting blue orbs.

* * *

The alleyways of Okina city were a dangerous and unwelcoming place. One could end up lost, robbed, dead and even a mix of the three if one wasn't careful. Deep in shadows, a silhouette was waiting, lying back against the wall while trying to keep its hands warm. Suddenly, his cellphone vibrated.

"It's me." the shadow said. On the other side of the line, a soft and melodious voice replied.

"It appears that we will need to put our plan into action soon. Today's actions have put us in great peril, not to mention that you were almost discovered."

"Yes, I understand, but I can´t do this on my own."

"Not to worry. Your assistance has already arrived to Okina. She will join you soon."

"She… Wait, don´t tell me…"

"It was her choice; we couldn't do anything about it."

"But…"

"Not to worry, she's excellent doing her job. As long as you two work together, you´ll be safe. However, you must stay low until she contacts you."

There was a tense silence. The shadow felt cold sweat run down his face, but he needed to trust those he was talking to.

"When?" the shadow asked with shaky voice.

"Tomorrow night. Just make sure you have everything ready for the operation. No need for violence; just get inside, get the data and run. We´ll handle the rest."

"I… I understand." said the shadow as firmly as he could. The female speaker bid the shadow farewell and ended the call. The shadow then disappeared back into the depths of Okina city, a few hours before sunrise.

* * *

**AN: **Thank you so much for reading this!

I hope this story is to your liking. Don´t forget to review and notify me for any mistakes I might have made. What surprises will await Yuu and his companion? Who are these mysterious shadows moving deep inside the city and what are they up to? Stay tuned, for things will soon get complicated!

Be seeing you!

Shin-Izanagi


	4. A Helping Hand

**Flow of Darkness**

**Chapter 4- A Helping Hand**

The first thing Yosuke Hanamura heard when he woke up was his answering machine. He didn't like using his cellphone much, a habit that frequently got him into arguments with Yuu, but the silver-haired mercenary didn't seem to care much either.

With his eyelids still blocking his vision, the brunet dragged his feet up to his answering machine, pushing the playback button with a lazy motion.

"You have two new messages" said the pre-recorded voice, pausing between each word. "Message one."

After the beep, Yuu's voice emerged from the speaker.

"Yo, It´s me. Need to talk to you. It's about last night. It's… kinda serious."

After another beep and another announcement from the machine, the second message played.

"You better wake up. The King is angry and our paycheck has been reduced by one quarter… again. And by the way… keep your cellphone on, goddamn it!"

The message ended, the machine stated that there were no new messages. However, Yosuke's thoughts stopped at one phrase spoken by Yuu.

"Paycheck… one quarter… again…?"

Then, the dots connected, causing a surge of anger and disbelief run through the brunet like an electric shock.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Yosuke got ready as fast as he could, still cursing under his breath. Then, got to his car and drove to the usual spot, where Yuu was probably waiting.

* * *

Yuu was a very patient person, but on that particular day, his patience was evaporating fast. He decided to brush his thoughts aside for the moment and focus on the taste of his canned coffee. Few moments later, the soft roar of a car drew closer. Yosuke had finally arrived, not without embarrassing himself in the process, almost running over his standing partner and tripping with his own car due to his delay.

"Goddamn it! I can´t believe this! And you know what else?"

Yuu only lifted an eyebrow, drinking a zip from his coffee.

"It's all your fault!"

Yosuke had opened his mouth to curse and yell at him again when the silver-haired stretched his arm towards him and gave him a strong blow in the head using his knuckles. Yosuke squealed in pain, unable to let out more insults.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you dumbass?"

Yosuke was ready to retaliate when Yuu turned to him and threw a large beverage can.

"Here" he said.

Yosuke was caught off guard by the gesture and raised his hands to catch the beverage, but as soon as his palms made contact with the can, they burned. The brunet started to juggle the can in the air, unable to decide whether to keep the can or drop it.

Once he was able to control the can in his already desensitized hands, Yosuke complained even further.

"That´s what happens when you´re late." said Yuu without looking at him.

"Oh, well, our paycheck won´t grow back even if we ended up fighting over it."

Then, something in Yosuke's mind stirred; he had never stopped to ask why the check was reduced in the first place. Maybe Yuu's tactic was for him to let out his anger in order for the latter to explain.

"I see you´ve calmed down." said Yuu softly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. So… what the hell happened?"

"Apparently, our methods drew far too much attention, meaning that The King would have to bribe his way out of having to give any explanations."

"Wasn´t he the one that said 'Do your job?' Geez!"

"Anyway, apparently Mitsuo was able to recover whatever it was The King wanted from the man's personal files."

"Does this mean we have to pay more 'visits'?"

"Most likely."

Yosuke let out a heavy sigh, but decided to focus on his canned drink just like his partner. The brunet now understood that he was just as upset as him.

"Ok, let´s see if we can give our paycheck a little boost, shall we?" said Yosuke in a playful manner.

"I´m right behind you."

The two mercenaries walked inside a building which was for the most part deserted. A few familiar faces passed by the two of them as they made their way to an elevator guarded by a tough looking blond man.

"Yo, senpai. How's it goin'?"

"Not so good. How 'bout you, Kanji?"

"Same here. But they´re waitn' for ya, so go right in."

Yuu couldn´t stop thinking back to the time he and Yosuke met the blond man for the first time. He was already under the employment of The King, but strangely, Kanji admired both him and Yosuke, acting like an underclassman whenever they met.

Yuu esteemed him and tried his best to act like a good role model for him, despite the conflicting nature of their job.

_Even if it´s just one life…_

* * *

Once the elevator arrived, the two mercenaries stepped into a dark room, barely lit by a flickering light casting wide shadows all across the barren space. Yuu had been in that room countless times before, but every time he felt as if some sinister force surrounded and engulfed everything, slowly, but without falter.

"Well, it was about time you two showed up."

From the deepest black, the figure of The King emerged; his real name was Kinshiro Morooka, whom Yosuke liked call _King Moron_.

Yuu was educated rigorously as a child, constantly reminded of the virtue of respect, especially for elders, but in Morooka's case, he had to agree with Yosuke in calling him a moron. The King was the most volatile person he had ever encountered, being able to abuse everything and everyone that was upsetting enough for him to explode.

Of course, he never called him that out loud.

"Well, we´re here for whatever you need us to do." said Yosuke with irony and sarcasm in his voice.

Morooka ignored the comment and called Mitsuo, spouting several insults to the young boy –not past his twenty- The youth emerged from the dark and placed his laptop on top of a dusty old table. Then, some other thugs set up a projector and a screen, through which Mitsuo intended to show information to the attendants of the meeting.

"According to the data gathered so far, the goods we need are distributed all across Okina City, of course, in the hands of the most powerful people." said Mitsuo in a rather low and shaky voice, more nervous than usual.

"There it is again, he's shaking." commented Yosuke in a low voice.

Yuu studied Mitsuo´s speech and body language while trying to focus on the conference. The boy was sweating, moving his hands constantly in order to try to calm himself down. He was so nervous that he got tongue-tied several times, without properly finishing a sentence and, ultimately, getting abused by Morooka.

After a few more minutes of nervousness and verbal insults, Yuu decided that it had been enough.

"So, in other words, we still need to collect more data from these people?"

The question seemed to calm things down, as Morooka rolled his eyes as if he was expecting someone to cut to the chase. Mitsuo let out a heavy sigh in relief and nodded to the mercenary´s words.

"And that's where you two come in, hopefully doing your job right!"

The two of them couldn't but to wince; even if they wanted to reply, they knew it wasn't going to help.

"And since I'm a generous person, I'm going to lend you a helping hand. Send her in."

With that, a thug went outside and a few moments later, a small figure came in. the silhouette then stepped into the light, gaining several looks of astonishment. Both mercenaries could understand why; the figure was alluring, for lack of a better way to describe it. Many were unsure as if the small person standing before them was a he or a she.

However, Yuu focused his gaze on its reactions, reading its body language carefully and slowly; the movement of the hands, a slight downward tilt of the head. So far, and in accordance with attire, he could have thought that this person was a young male, but then, there was a spark. Both Yuu's and the figure's eyes made contact, as if drawn in by a magnetic field.

The contact lasted hundreds, perhaps tens of a second, but the mercenary´s trained eyes could detect the slightest detail. The figure's skin was of a radiant, creamy white hue, while the hair was well taken care of, constantly tended to with the precise amount of dedication. Then, Yuu's focus swiftly changed to its body language, being able to distinguish a quick flattering in the eyelashes, a faint pink blush in the cheeks and an instantaneous twitch of the lower lip.

_So it is a she…_

"Hey, dude, snap out of it!" said Yosuke giving a slight pat on his partner's shoulder. Yuu then gave an absent look at his partner and focused his gaze on the mysterious girl, pushing his assumptions aside, though not completely.

"This brat here will provide Mitsuo the support he needs to crack into the target's files and extract the data we need, while you two grunts take care of any hostile resistance. Be sure to keep quiet enough so I don't have to cut your paycheck down to the size of a fly."

"I beg your pardon, but who are you calling a brat?" said the figure, earning even more astonished looks. Morookas's eyes lit up with fire and his hands went instinctively up, but surprisingly held back.

"My name is Naoto Shirogane, and I would appreciate if you could call me that."

Naoto's words seemed to have had a negative effect on The King's reputation as leader and suddenly felt the urge to punish her for her insolence. However, what he was unable to expel with his arms, he expelled through his mouth.

"That's it! You're on my shit list, effective immediately!"

Yuu's stomach suddenly began to hurt, but he took several deep breaths in order to calm down.

"The operation is tonight, so I expect you all to do your goddamn job!"

Even after the King left the room, the air was tense. Yuu could notice Naoto breath out a heavy sigh and go to where Mitsuo was in order to discuss the details of the operation.

"I'll send you the details by mail. Be at the rendezvous point and we'll begin." said the hacker addressing Yuu and Yosuke on his way out.

* * *

"What's the matter?" said Yosuke giving Yuu a concerned look.

"Nothing." replied he nonchalantly.

"You've been watching that wristwatch nonstop; and that's a first,"

"Is that so?" replied Yuu absentmindedly.

Yosuke decided to stop all conversation and focus on his job. He knew that when his partner was deep in thought, only an apocalyptic cataclysm would bring him back.

Yuu, on the other hand, realized how stupid he might have looked a while ago, staring at his watch for a long time. Waking up from his slumber, he focused his grey eyes In his laptop screen, memorizing all the data submitted previously by Mitsuo, who arrived with Naoto few minutes later.

Once everyone was ready, Mitsuo gave a somewhat concerned look to Yosuke, Yuu and Naoto.

"So, is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded, to which Mitsuo gave a few last instructions and wished for the success of the mission.

"Alright, let's do this, partner!"

The two entered a luxurious building, probably a five-star hotel in which a ball was taking place.

Yosuke was about to press the elevator call button when a voice came from behind.

"You there, wait!"

* * *

**AN: **Thank you so much for reading this!

Sorry for the late update, but I've been busy with other projects unrelated to fanfiction as well as trying to reorganize my ideas in order to continue writing "The Darkest Bond"

I want to thank all of you who have been adding that story to their favorites, it really means a lot!

How will the two mercenaries get out of this sudden predicament, and what is it about Naoto that keeps Yuu thinking?

Stay tuned for more!

Shin-Izanagi


	5. Haywire

**Flow of Darkness**

**Chapter 5- Haywire**

"Stop!" said the voice from behind the two mercenaries. Both men froze, not knowing what to expect. Yu took the initiative and softlyturned towards the origin of the voice.

"Yes?" he said, paying attention to any sudden moves.

"You dropped this." said a man handing over a small piece of plastic resembling a card. Yu gently took the card and analyzed it before smiling and thanking the man. Then, the elevator arrived and Yu, Yosuke and the man, all took it together.

"Thanks." said Yu to the same, now unconscious man lying on the elevator floor. Yosuke gave the man a pitiful look before going out. Now, the two of them worked their way amongst the ball's guests and waiters, looking for any sign of their target. Of course, this was easier said than done. People moved back and forth as the waves in the ocean, their actions almost impossible to predict.

Yu and Yosuke had to focus their attention in so many things at once, being careful not to let anything slip. Then, a voice resounded in Yu's ears.

"We're almost at the data core. Do you have the target?"

"Not yet. The bastard is more elusive than we thought. Maybe he's nervous."

"Could be. However, we need you to mark him so we can move on."

"Hold on. I think I see him."

A tall slender man appeared, dressed in an expensive Italian tuxedo. His features were thin and elegant and he used a pair of distinctive, yet discrete squared glasses.

Close behind him, two easily identified bodyguards were looking around. Yu had a big problem with guards that used dark glasses; too predictable, he thought.

Yosuke seemed to read his partner's expression and commented that maybe, the pay wasn´t good enough to afford decent, discrete clothing. Yu couldn´t help but chuckle.

"Alright, let´s move." said the brunet.

The two of them played their roles as waiters and created a distraction so the guards had to leave the target alone. Then Yu placed a tracking device on the man's jacket's neck.

Once the target was marked, Yu informed Mitsuo that they were clear to proceed.

As the hackers moved undetected, Yu and Yosuke assumed the roles of real guests, showing false invitations in order to divert attention from guards every now and then. Then, Mitsuo announced that he and Naoto were standing by in the computer room.

As a consequence of the distraction, the target dismissed his escort and headed into the interior of the hotel, probably to a restroom in order to -hopefully- wash away some of the wine that had been spilled in his Italian suit. Yu and Yosuke followed him closely through the corridors, occasionally hiding by corners when the target became suspicious.

"You better go make sure Naoto and Mitsuo don´t get disturbed. I'll bring him to you, even if I have to drag him all the way to the computer room."

"Ok. Stay sharp, partner"

"You too."

The mercenaries split up and headed their separate ways. Yosuke returned to the party and from there, looked for a way to divert attention from Yu. The latter followed his mark closely, watching for sudden moves and hidden security cameras.

The man in the suit entered the restroom and Yu followed close by, acting as casual as he could. However, the target knew something was off. When his eyes studied him, Yu smiled and simply said:

"I got lost, but since I found the restroom, I thought it would be alright if I… Wow… it looks pretty bad."

The man looked at his ruined Italian suit and sighed heavily.

"I know." He said while trying his best to clean the fabric.

"How did it happen?"

"Some stupid waiters dropped expensive red wine on me."

Yu twisted his lips as if in pain.

"Such a shame." he commented.

The target looked at Yu for a moment and suddenly, his face began to look familiar; the color of the eyes, the hair, the complexion. Could he be…?

"Say… you look very much like one of such waiters."

Something jolted inside Yu's brain. His mind raced while trying to come up with a strategy that might help him immobilize the target without drawing too much attention. He didn't want to resort to his gun, but as options got crossed out, he felt more and more obligated to use it. He had a split second to decide whether to pretend or to use the element of surprise to his advantage just as quickly as those thoughts ran through his head, he made his decision and reached for his gun. He raised his hand and aimed for the man's head, but as soon as the target's eyes met his own, a deep chill ran down the mercenary´s spine.

The next instant, Yu's arm was pulled away with great force and before the target had a chance to even scream, a figure emerged from the darkness and incapacitated both men with swift strikes. The silver-haired mercenary rolled on the floor, trying to focus his senses on the ongoing scene. The assailant was a slender tall woman clad in white, with only a red ribbon adorning her neck and a golden diadem on her equally golden hair. She moved beautifully for an assassin; her clear blue eyes were like a pond of frozen water, slowly swallowing the target, who desperately tried to run.

Yu tried to reach out to his gun, but his arm would not respond to his commands. He then checked his other limbs and found that he had been fully paralyzed.

_When did she…?_

The assassin produced thin small blades between her fingertips in an elegant move. Yu deduced that those blades were for both, cutting and piercing precise locations on the victim's body. If wielded by a skilled marksman, those small blades could be as lethal as a silenced sniper rifle. Yu struggled to force his limbs to obey him and grab his gun, but it was like pushing against a massive waterfall. The assassin was drawing closer to the target, staring at him with her eyes that were like a doll's. The blades drew close to the man's eyes and then… a shout.

"Stop it!" said Yu, feeling as if his body would split in two by forcing his jaw to open. The woman looked back at him, the same cold gaze in her eyes. She turned back and kicked him with such force that one of the pipes beneath the sink broke, causing the restroom to flood. The woman's expression changed into a somewhat confused look and hurried back to her target, aiming her knives to the neck, but as she was taking aim, the mercenary managed to stand up and push her away. Both began to struggle while the target tried to run away.

Yu wasn't sure if attacking her in his current state was a good idea, but he couldn´t let an outsider interfere any longer. His head was a mess and his muscles felt stiff, but the sudden splash of water was bringing him back to life. The assassin moved fast despite the water, in fact, it seemed as if the water had increased her speed. Yu managed to sweep her off her feet and dashed towards his gun, while she used a knife on his adversary´s leg. The wound felt like a drop on acid on bare skin, but Yu shut the pain off and continued to struggle. Just as soon as Yu stretched his arm to grab his gun, the assassin wrapped her arms around his neck, cutting his air. Yu's strength began to fade away, but in a split second, he took the first action his mind was able to come up with. Relaxing his muscles, the assassin became more confident, giving Yu enough freedom of movement. He quickly turned to face the assassin doll… and kissed her lips as passionately as he could. The woman froze, forgetting her previous actions. Her fingertips twitched as they tried to decide whether to respond to the gesture or not. She decided to follow her instincts and return the kiss, loosening her grip on his neck.

As if on cue, Yu quickly stretched his hand and aimed discretely to the stomach. The assassin was still dazed from the kiss when the click of the gun's hammer made her body jolt in terror. She had lost. Yu jumped away, never taking his eyes off of her. The assassin's face was a mixture of shame, anger and indignation. She could not meet the man's eyes and for a moment, Yu thought she really was a doll. For the short time he observed her, she didn´t move an inch, her head down, the only sound coming from the broken water pipes.

The target couldn´t even speak. He tried to run once, but the mercenary used a syringe to numb the man's extremities. Carrying the man on his back, Yu moved as fast as he could through the hallways, further away from the rest of the guests. Then, a voice rang in his ear.

"Yu… there? Yu!"

"Yosuke?"

"Thank god, man! What the hell happened?"

"We´re not alone in here; there was an assassin just now."

"WHAT?"

Yu had to take out the earpiece because of the massive blow inside his eardrums.

"Take it easy. How are Mitsuo and Naoto doing?"

"They´re almost done. Is the target safe?"

"Yeah, I numbed him so he wouldn´t cause trouble."

"Ok. But… damn, an assassin?"

"Yeah; pretty well trained, too."

Yosuke let out a heavy sigh. His nerves were as fragile as glass. Yu shared the feeling, but he had to stay focused. However, while running along a hallway, he stumbled upon a patrolling guard. The guard didn't doubt to aim his gun at the mercenary, who didn´t have many options, considering the person at his back. Yu quickly took out his gun and placed a bullet on the guard's head, but that shot was sure to bring all the unwanted attention.

"You guys better be ready to run."

"What now?"

"I´m bringing a party with me."

"O-ok. Be careful, partner."

Yu took a deep breath and dashed across the hallways, trying to avoid unnecessary encounters. If his legs didn´t fail him, he would be there in less than two minutes.

Mitsuo couldn't calm his nerves down and his fingers slipped too many times for Naoto to keep a steady flow. She had to put a great amount of effort to a task she knew shouldn´t have taken more than ten minutes.

"You shouldn´t have agreed to this." said Mitsuo out of the blue.

"You know what's at stake here. I will not stand by as _he _destroys everything we built." said Naoto harshly.

"Look, I can understand it perfectly, but for you it's too much of a risk. We can´t afford anything happening to you, otherwise _he _wins."

"Don´t tell me what I must do. This is more personal to me than it is to you, so don´t assume you know why I´m here for."

Naoto's words were as cold as ice and Mitsuo was taken aback by her strong character. Even after nearly seven months working toward the same goal, he still felt overshadowed by her. It scared him. _She _scared him.

After a few moments in silence, however, tension rose again as Naoto noticed a strange set of files inside the server. The files were a set of numbers, social security numbers, bank accounts, addresses; practically identities for god-knows-how-many people. However, the data was also placed and coded in such way that it could practically blow and cause irreversible structural damage to the entire city´s informatics infrastructure.

"These files…"

Mitsuo´s breath became ice in his throat as he read along the code lines. There was no doubt that Naoto had come across the real jackpot. It was too much of a risk.

"Don´t…" Mitsuo said bluntly.

"Look, I know what we came for, but this is something that _he_ is hiding right here, right now. It may be too risky, but if we let this chance go, we might never come across it again. Think of it as a weapon our enemy carelessly put in our hands; we have the chance to deliver a mortal blow if we do it calmly and, most importantly, together."

The boy hesitated for an instant before nodding in agreement and moving his fingers across a USB keyboard while Naoto did the same. The click and clack from the keys was like a downpour of rain in the barely lit computer room. Every so often, steam would come from the hackers' mouths due to the temperature. Despite both of them wearing thick jackets, it was still very cold. However, both youths felt as if they were on fire because of the tension welling up. The data they had set out to obtain was probably the hardest challenge both had faced in their entire lives. Naoto had to admit that whoever had encrypted the information was either a master hacker or a complete maniac, perhaps, even both.

Finaly, after some tension, the extraction process began. The data that Morooka had sent them to collect, which Naoto had already prepared a backup for was extracted first, but the encrypted set was taking longer than expected. Mitsuo was beginning to lose his cool and started shaking again.

"Stay calm" Naoto said.

"Yeah, I kn-"

"Hey, you guys better hurry it up. Yu's on his way here with the target but it seems we´re gonna have to run as soon as you´re done."

"What? But there are still files we need to…"

"Hey, didn´t you hear me? The whole of this place´s security is going to be up our asses soon, so you guys better find a way to speed it up."

Both hackers were at a loss at first, but decided to split the work in order to finish faster. It wasn´t too long after that that Yu Narukami arrived with the target on his back. The man's own biometric signal was necessary for the final de-encryption process, so as soon as Yu was inside with the hackers, he did all as Mitsuo instructed him to do, despite his nervousness.

While Yu was busy de-encrypting the data he was sent to collect, Mitsuo turned his attention to Naoto, who was also starting to lose her patience. Mitsuo understood that they were running out of options, so he tried a self-made method to try to acquire the data. However, just before the extraction process could be completed, an error message flashed on the server´s LED indicators. Something had gone terribly wrong.

"What happened?" asked Naoto, praying something could be done to fix the mistake. Mitsuo, however, didn´t respond. His eyes were fixed on the server, as if his soul had been sucked by the metal box flashing a red light. Then, the boy erupted into panic.

"I'm sorry!" he said as he slammed his head into the servers over and over again. His screams were blood-curdling and there was no power on earth capable of calming him down. Not soon after that, the sound of alarms resounded all throughout the building. Yu's senses made him jump and load his gun, making sure he was ready to drag the two hackers out before security caught up to them.

Naoto tried her best to find for a way to undo Mitsuo´s mistake, but all she could do was set up a wall that would stop the tremendous flow of data that was beginning to pour out of the server. In one last desperate attempt to shut it down, Naoto came across part of the root code for the encryption method. She extracted the code and re-shaped it as a set of readable characters. Then, a single word was formed:

KIRI

Naoto was sure to burn those four letters into her head before grabbing her gear along with Mitsuo´s, destroying any evidence of their incursion into the network. Then, she ran with Yosuke while Yu handled Mitsuo. The silver-haired mercenary gave a last glance at the computer room before grabbing Mitsuo by his shoulders and dragging him at full speed.

The sound of alarms and guns was deafening, chaos was palpable and blood was sure to run. Yosuke led Naoto behind a corner and provided cover fire for Yu and Mitsuo. The boy tripped and Yu had to move quickly, thanking whoever was above for his hands or legs not being hit while picking the hacker up. Once they were both secure, Yosuke threw a flash grenade, signaling everyone to run straight while covering their eyes. The group dashed away through the hallways as the flash blinded their enemies. Once their eyes readapted to normal light, the group continued to make their escape through the staff entrance. They were outside the parking lot, hoping to reach their vehicle unnoticed by an already exited crowd, when suddenly, two cars blocked their way.

A big group of armed men emerged from the vehicles, Kanji and Morooka among them.

"Phew, finally, some backup!" said the brunet with exhaustion, but Yu noticed something was odd; The King would never put himself in the line of fire for anyone, even with an escort. There was simply no way he was there to pick them up.

Yu´s eyes read Morooka's and suddenly understood. It was about Mitsuo.

The youth also understood what was going to happen, and despite his fear, walked-rather crawled- towards his employer. Morooka simply grabbed him by his hair and muttered:

"What happened back there? What did you two assholes do?"

"I'm…I'm sorry!"

The King's eyes moved then to Naoto, who tried to hide behind Yu. The silver haired mercenary then intervened, explaining the situation. Afterwards, Morooka's expression seemed to have calmed down a little bit. However, a clicking sound made Yu's brain rush. A gun was being pointed at him. The gunman was Kanji. There was no way back.

**AN: **Phew! Finally finished something!

It´s been waaay too long ever since I last posted anything on the site and frankly, I was yearning to come back. Between school and my other projects, it was hard for me to focus, but thankfully, I pulled through. After the Holydays, I suddenly got hit by a bolt of inspiration and… here´s the result!

As always, thank you so very much for reading my stories. I want to give special thanks to all who have followed my ever since day one. Now, in regards to my other pending story, "The Darkest Bond" I'm starting to realize that I wanted the story to focus more on the protagonists' struggle. I somehow got lost giving more priority to researching diseases than I should have. Thankfully, this long period of reflection helped me realize that. I clarify that I STILL researched for some real and "new" diseases to the series, but I finally understood that even if they are a central point of the original game, I shouldn´t have worried too much.

Anyway, after this looong author´s note, I just want to say thank you again for your understanding and support. That is what, in great part, keeps me going!

Stay tuned to find out what will become of our heroes!


End file.
